POTTERY CLASSES & COURSES CAIRNS
4 week beginner courses in a small class of 6, with week-by-week guidance and everything included: clay, tools, equipment, underglazes, glazes, bisque firing and glaze firing.
SMALL CLASSES, EVERYTHING INCLUDED
Four week courses are $420 each with everything included. Let’s go on a full journey from clay to useable pottery. Classes are capped at 6 people and your finished pieces are ready for pick up 2 to 4 weeks after the final session.
Wednesdays, 6pm to 9pm | 4 weeks
4 Week Wheel Throwing
Feel the earth on your hands and be challenged by the pottery wheel. Learn the whole process from clay to pottery: throwing, plates, turning bottoms, underglazing, carving, glazing and the final firing. Small class of 6, and you can make up to 10 pots.
$420
Thursdays, 1pm to 4pm | 4 weeks
4 Week Hand Building
Learn hand skills and techniques to design and create unique, useful art: pinch pots, coiling, stamping, rolling, templates, underglazes, carving and glazing, the whole process from clay to pottery. Small class of 6 at a relaxed pace.
$420
Already thrown your first pots?
Intermediate & Open Studio
Ongoing intermediate classes and open studio time for keen potters in the community, plus 1:1 support if you want to grow a particular skill. Spots are limited, so ask Astrid about the current schedule and pricing.
4 WEEK WHEEL THROWING | WEDNESDAYS 6PM TO 9PM
Week 1
Learn to throw on the wheel
Learn how to centre the clay, use the pottery wheel and get familiar with all the steps. With focused energy we create 1 to 3 pieces each.
Week 2
Create more and make plates
Practice on the wheel and make more pieces, then with step-by-step guidance learn the techniques to make two beautifully designed plates each.
Week 3
Turn, paint and carve
Turn and clean up the bottoms of each pot, paint with underglazes and carve the leather-hard clay for a unique, personalised finish. During the week your pottery dries and Astrid bisque fires everything, a 10 hour firing that reaches 1000 degrees.
Week 4
Glaze all your beautiful work
Learn to apply glaze to your bisque-fired pottery using different techniques to achieve the colours and results you choose. The glaze firing then takes 12 hours to reach 1265 degrees and 3 days to cool. We arrange a pick-up date so everyone can see how each piece turned out, like opening presents at Christmas.
4 WEEK HAND BUILDING | THURSDAYS 1PM TO 4PM
Week 1
Feel, connect and mould
We start by feeling, connecting with and moulding different types of clay. Learn three pinch pot techniques, coiling, stamping and how to add handles, texture and design details, plus spoons and nik naks.
Week 2
Roll, template and shape
Learn to roll clay flat and shape it into plates, big bowls or platters. Using templates, design and make unique cups, mugs and vases in your own style.
Week 3
Underglaze and carve
Paint your big pieces with coloured underglazes and slips, then carve into the leather-hard clay to define your designs and patterns. Students say this week is deeply satisfying and therapeutic. Afterwards everything is dried and bisque fired to 1000 degrees.
Week 4
Glaze and celebrate
Learn glaze application and techniques to achieve the colours and finish you want. Glaze can be unpredictable, and that is the exciting part of the process. The final firing reaches 1245 to 1265 degrees over 12 hours, cools for 3 days, then the group sets a pick-up date to celebrate the results together.
Each course is sold as a block of four consecutive weeks because every session builds on the last: you throw or build in weeks 1 and 2, turn and decorate in week 3, and glaze your bisque-fired work in week 4. Book once and your spot is held for all four.
GOOD TO KNOW
4 Week Wheel Throwing runs Wednesday evenings, 6pm to 9pm, over four consecutive weeks. 4 Week Hand Building runs Thursday afternoons, 1pm to 4pm, over four consecutive weeks. Contact Astrid for the next start dates.
Yes. One booking covers all four sessions and each week builds on the one before, so the course is not sold week by week. If you want a single session instead, the one-off workshops are the place to start.
Small and personal, a maximum of 6 people per course, so everyone gets plenty of one-on-one guidance.
Everything: step-by-step guidance and fun times together, clay, tools, equipment, underglazes, glazes, bisque firing and glaze firing. On the wheel throwing course you can make up to 10 pots.
After the final glaze firing, which takes 12 hours to fire and 3 days to cool. Your work is ready for pick up 2 to 4 weeks after the course finishes, and the group pick-up is a celebration in itself.
None at all. Both courses are built for complete beginners, and Astrid guides you step by step from the first lump of clay.
KEEP EXPLORING
One-off workshops
Try pottery in a relaxed three hour beginner workshop.
Private events
Pottery parties for hens, birthdays, work Christmas parties, corporate teams and celebrations.
Studio shop
Take home handmade ceramics from the Stratford studio.
Gallery
Real studio moments: workshops, parties and finished pieces.
Spots are limited to 6 people per course. Contact Astrid for the next start dates.
